Tungsten wire reducing machine



Jan. 19, 1937. H. v. SCHLACKS TUNGSTEN WIRE REDUCING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1931 4 Sheets-Shed 1 Jan. 19, 1937. H. v. S CHLACKS TUNGSTEN WIRE REDUCING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 19, 1937. H. v. SCHLACKS TUNGSTEN WIRE REDUCING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledJune 15, 1931 Jan. 19, 1937.

H. v. scl-u AcKs TUN'GSTEN WIRE REDU'CING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheeii 4 //2 //6 I' V J l J l -9 an /0a I Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TUNGSTEN WIRE REDUCING MACHINE Henry V. Schlacks, Berwyn, Ill., assignor to Westem Electric Company,

Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application June 15, 1931, Serial No. 544,511

16 Claims.

of wire immersed in the fluid while maintaining the speed of the wire substantially constant.

The mechanism for varying the length of the immersed wire is preferably controlled in response to the electrical resistance of the treated wire in order to maintain the cross-sectional area and the resistance substantially uniform for a given setting of the apparatus.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the actuating mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken 5 along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; v

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram illustrating the invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate 4 similar parts throughout the several views, numeral l designates a suitable support such'as a bench upon which is mounted a pivotal support H for a supply reel i2 having tungsten filament wire I3 wound thereupon. A wire I3, when taken from the reel I2, is threaded around a series of sheaves i l and I6 rotatably mounted upon an elevator l1 the lower end of which is arranged to extend into a treating tank l8. A treating bath is disposed in the treating tank I8 and consists of a suitable solution which is heated to a desired temperature by a heating unit I8 for reducing (cine-4 the wire l3, as it is drawn therethrough, over the sheave IS. The upper end of the elevator ii? is carried by a movable bracket i9 slidably mounted upon guide rods 28, which are suppo 'ted by aframe 2i, and provided with an internally threaded portion 22 (Fig. '7) for receiving an adjusting screw 23. The adjusting screw 23 is rotatably carried by the frame 29 and is adapted to be manually rotated by the aid of a knurled head portion 24. Extending downwardly from the adjustable screw 23, and constituting a part of the adjusting means, is an adjusting shaft 25 having mounted upon the lowerend thereof ratchets 26 and 21 connected. together by a hub 28 which is fixed to the adjusting shaft. Positioned adjacent the ratchets 26 and 21 are pawls 29 and 30,'respectively, op-

eratively connected to electromagnetically actuated levers 3| and 32, respectively. The levers 3i and 32 are normally urged forwardly by. springs 33 so as to normally position the pawls 29 and 38 free of the ratchets and are arranged to be moved rearwardly by the energization of electromagnets 34 and. 35, respectively, when certain electrical circuits hereinafter described are closed.

. After the wire I3 is passed over the sheaves l5 and i6 and through the treating bath it is passed through a rinsing bath 40 as shown in Fig. 1, there being provided a supply line 4| for continuously supplying a, fluid to a rinsing tank 42 and a drain 43 extending into the rinsing tank for draining the excess fluid therefrom. After the wire leaves the rinsing ,tank 42 it is passed through a pair of mercury cups 45 and 46 which are positioned in a testing unit indicated generally at 41. The testing unit is composed of a thermostatic temperature control 48, a resistance testing unit including a galvanometer (not shown) and indicated generally at 49, and a heating unit 5|). The heating unit 50 is controlled by the thermostatic temperature control 48 for maintaining a predetermined temperature, preferably a temperature of 90 F. within a casing 54 in which the mercury cups 45 and 46 are disposed. The

casing 54 has hingedly fixed thereto a. cover 55 provided with a transparent member 56 therein, enabling the operator to observe the wire I3 as it passes through the casing. The heat control unit 48 is operatively connected, in any suitable man-.;

ner, to a thermostat 51 which is disposed adjacent the transparent member 56. I

The mechanism for advancing the wire I315 shown in Figs. 1 to 4,inclusive, and consists of a a thermometer 58, the latter being visible through", i

shaft 6| by a pinion 62 and a gear 63.

power shaft 68 operatively connected to a driven The shaft 6| is journaled in a housing 64 and has a worm 65 mounted thereupon which interengages a worm 66 of a spool rotating shaft 61. The shaft 61 is journaled in bearings disposed in the housing 64 and is provided with a longitudinally extending key 68 receivable in slots of spools 68 disposed upon the shaft 61. As shown in Fig. 2 a plurality of such spools may be disposed upon the shaft 61 and rest upon a collar 18, the spools being held against vertical displacement by a weight 1| which is removably disposed upon the shaft 61.

A cam shaft 15 is journaled in the housing 64 and is operatively connected to a worm 66 by a worm gear 16 mounted upon the shaft 15. At one side of the worm gear 16 is a distributor actuating cam 11 engaging a roller 18 of a lifting lever 18 for raising and lowering the lever. The lever 18 is pivoted at 88 and has its opposite end forked to receive a pin 8| of a reciprocating distributor bar 82. The bar 82 is journaled in bearings in the housing 64 and is normally urged downwardly by a spring 83. Adjustably mounted upon the upper end of the reciprocating bar 82 is a distributor member 84 held in one of a plurality of fixed positions by a set screw 85 and adjusted relative to the reciprocating bar 62 by an adjusting nut 86. The strand I3 in passing from the testing unit 41 passes beneath a pin 81 of the distributor member 84 which guides the wire back and forth over the adjacent spool 68 so as to evenly position the convolutions of the wire thereupon.

Upon the forward end of the cam shaft 15 are disposed switch actuating cams 88 and 8|, the cam 88 being shown in Fig. 8 provided with a pair of raised cam portions 82 and the cam 8| shown in the same figure with a single raised portion 93 covering approximately one-fourth of the peripheral surface of the cam. The purposes of the cams 88 and 8| are to close switches 84 and 85, respectively, for closing circuits illustrated in Fig. 8.

The circuits shown in Fig. 8 include a coil I88 for the electromagnet 34 and a coil I8I for the electromagnet 35., The coils I88 and IN are disposed in circuits including contact blocks I82 and I83, respectively, spaced sufllciently from each other so that a galvanometer needle I84, when registering a zero reading, may be positioned therebetween without contacting with either end of the blocks. An actuating bar I85 is alternately moved toward and away from the contact blocks I82 and I83 due to the energization of a solenoid I86, the latter being energized when the raised portion 83 of the cam 8| is moved to close a switch I81. The cam 8| is rotated at any desired speed, such as ten revolutions per minute, to energize the solenoid at desired intervals and retain the solenoid in the energized condition until the cam 88 has closed and opened a switch I88 one or more times depending upon the number of raised portions 82 upon the cam 88. Therefore, if the needle I84 of the galvanometer is positioned to the left, so that it will be between the contact.

. eration will be more thoroughly described hereinpart of, is controlled by a wheatstone bridge circuit I I8 and as the portion of the wire I3 between the mercury cups 45 and 46 constitutes one arm of the bridge circuit, any variation in the resistance of the wire between the mercury cups will affect the position of the needle I84. When the apparatus is in operation and the wire, which passes through the mercury cups 45 and 46, is being wound upon one of the spools 68 a circuit is completed from a battery III, through a relay H2, the mercury cup 46, the wire I3, the spool 68 upon which the wire is being wound, through the spool shaft 61 which is grounded to a base plate H3, and back to the battery. As the current flows through the relay H2 2. switch H4 is closed completing a circuit which includes another relay II5, the energization of which opens a switch H6 in an alarm circuit Ill and closes a. switch I I8 in a circuit including the switch I81 and the solenoid I86.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the apparatus the operation thereof may be more clearly understood. As the wire I3 is threaded around the sheaves I5 and I6 of the elevator mechanism, through the rinsing bath 48, the mercury contact cups 45 and 46, beneath the pin 81 of the distributor 84 and secured to one of the spools 69, a motor, or any suitable power means (not shown), is energized for rotating the power shaft 68, thus imparting a rotary movement to the spool shaft 61 and to the cam shaft 15. Let it be assumed that the treating bath in the treating tank I8 is heated by means of a heating unit I8 to the desired temperature and that the temperature within the casing 54 is approximately 90 F. The treating bath is composed of a suitable solution, such as equal portions of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite solution, which is maintained at a constant predetermined temperature, preferably at a temperature of 188 F. As the wire I3 passes into the treating bath around the sheave I6 and out of the treating bath a chemical reaction occurs and the wire is reduced in size. The reduction in the wire may be varied by varying the time in which the wire remains in the treating bath. This variation in the time in which the wire remains in the treating bath is brought about by the actuation of the galvanometer needle I84, this needle being moved to register the resistance of the wire I3 between the mercury contact cups 45 and 46. If the resistance of the portion of the wire I3 between the mercury cups 45 and 46 is high the needle I84 will be moved to the left (Fig. 8) and while in this position the actuating bar I85 will move it into engagement with the contact block I82, due to the energization of he solenoid I86 when the switch I81 is closed by movement of the cam 83, and move the contact block I82 into engagement with an adjacent contact point to close one point of the circuit including the electromagnet 35. Immediately upon the energizing of the solenoid I86 the switch. I88 will be closed and opened one or more times, depending upon the number of raised portions 82 on the cam 88, so as to energize the electromagnet 34, causing a rearward movement of the lever 3|, which moves the pawl 28 into operative engagement with the ratchet 21 to rotate the ratchet with the adjusting shaft 25 a predetermined distance. The electromagnet 34 may be energized any desired number'of times during each energization of the solenoid I86 by providing the desired number of raised portions 82 upon the cam 88. In

, the present instance the electromagnet 34 is enin which the wire I3 remains in the treating solution. If the resistance of the wire I3 is still too high the needle I04 will remain in a position to the left (Fig. 8) and during the next revolution of the cam iii the solenoid I06 will again be energized to close the circuit through the electromagnet 34 the coil IOI, which is a part thereof,"

thus rotating the adjusting screw 23 to raise the elevator I'I-a predetermined distance. A similar operation will take place when the resistance of.

the wire I3 between the mercury cups 45 and 46 is too low. In this operation theneedle I04 in registering. the resistance of the wire will be moved to the right (Fig. 8) and when the soleloid I06 is energized a circuit will be closed through the coil I00, which is a part of the electromagnet 35, and during the energization of the electromagnet the lever 32 will be actuated to move the pawl 30 into operative engagement with the ratchet 26 thus rotating the ratchet with the adjusting shaft in acounterclockwise direction (Fig. 5) to lower the elevator.

During the operation of the apparatus a switch I20 of the alarm circuit isclosed 'so that when the switch I I6 is released, due to the de-energization of the relay I I5, the alarm circuit I I! will be rendering the circuit including the solenoid I06 ineffective. If the wire I3 should break during the operation of the apparatus the elevator II may be moved upwardly, to remove the wire from the treating bath without varying the position of the movable bracket I9, and held in any desired upward position by a retaining member III resting upon a downwardly tapered surface of the bracket l0 and receivable in any of a plurality of notches I22 of the elevator. While the elevator is in the upward position the wire may be rethreaded through the apparatus, an.

end thereof secured to one of the spools 09 and the elevator then lowered into the proper position in the treating bath.

An important feature of this invention is the provision of means for testing the electrical characteristics of tungsten wire at predetermined intervals during the advancing thereof through a treating solution and actuating mechanism, re-

the apparatus, start the advancing means and lower the elevator to position the wire within the treating solution at the immersion depth previously occupied thereby. Although a specific form of the invention has been described herein the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a material treating apparatus, a treating bath, means for advancing strand material through said treating bath, means for measuring a factor related to the cross-section of the strand material, and means responsive to said measuring means for varying the time in which the strand remains in said treating bath in accordance with the cross-section of the strand.

2. In a material treating apparatus, a treating bath for reducing the cross-sectional area of a strand and varying the electrical resistance thereof, means for measuring the resistance of a portion of the strand, means for advancing the strand through said treating bath, and means responsive to saidresistance measuring means for varying the length of time in which the strand remains in said treating bath in accordance with the resistance of the strand.

3. In a material treating apparatus, means for advancing a strand, a treating tank, a treating solution disposed in said tank for varying the size of the strand, and means for raising or lowering the strand in said treating bath during the advancing of said strand for varying the time in which said strand is subjected to said treating bath.

4. In a material treating apparatus, a treating bath, means for advancing material, means for directing the material into and out of said treating bath, means for testing the electrical characteristics of the material after passing a through said treating bath, and means for varying the position of said directing means in response to said electrical characteristics for varying the time in which the material is subjected to said treating bath.

5. In a material treating apparatus, means for advancing strand material through a treating solution for varying the cross-sectional area thereof, means for testing the electrical characteristics of the strand material after passing through said treating solution, and means associated with and responsive tosaid testing means for varying the time in which. the material is immersed in the treating bath.

6. In a material treating apparatus, means for reducing the crc :s-sectional area of material, means for electrically testing the material including a bridge circuit, a portion of the material which has been reduced constituting one arm of said bridge circuit and means associated with, the testing means for maintaining said crosssectional area uniform.

'7. In a material treating apparatus, means for reducing the cross-sectional area of material, means for electrically testing the material including a bridge circuit, a portion of the material which has been reduced constituting one arm of said bridge circuit, and means associated with and responsive to said testing means for varying the cross-sectional reduction of a material.

8. In a material treating apparatus, a treating bath, means for advancing material, an elevator mechanism arranged to direct the material, while advancing, into and out of said treating bath, means for testing the electrical characteristics of the material passing from said bath, and means associated with said testing means for varying the position of said elevating means relative to said bath.

i 9. In a material treating apparatus, a treating bath, means for advancing material, an elevator mechanism arranged to directthe material, while advancing, into and out of said treating bath, means for testing the electrical characteristics of the material passing from said bath, means associated with said testing means for varying the position of said elevating means relative to said bath, and means for rendering said last named means inefiective if the material being advanced should break.

10. In a material treating apparatus, a treating bath, means for advancing material, an elevator mechanism arranged to direct the material, while advancing, into and out of said treating bath, means for testing the electrical characteristics of the material passing from said bath, means associated with said testing means for varying the position of said elevating means relative to said bath, means for rendering said last named means inefiective if the material being advanced should break, and indicating means 'arranged to be energized upon the breaking of said material.

11. In a material treating apparatus, means for reducing the cross-sectional area of material while being advanced, means for advancing the material, means for testing the electrical characteristics of the-material, means associated with said testing means for varying the cross-sectional reduction of said material, and means for alternately energizing and tie-energizing said last named means during the advancing of said material.

12. In a material treating apparatus, means for reducing the cross-section of the material, and means for varying the amount of said reduction including a bridge circuit having a portion of the material in one arm thereof, a galvanometer having a pointer, and means responsive to the position of the pointer for effecting said variation.

13. In an apparatus for treating tungsten wire, a treating bath for reducing the cross-section of the wire, means for advancing the wire through the bath at a constant rate, and means varying the period of time the wire is in the bath to obtain a selected varying reduction.

14. In an apparatus for treating tungsten wire, a treating bath, means for advancing the wire through said bath at a predetermined rate, means for varying the length of wire immersed in said bath, means responsive to the variation of the electrical characteristics of the wire, and means actuated by said responsive means for controlling the means for varying the length of wire immersed in the bath.

15. In an apparatus for treating wire, a treating bath, means for advancing the wire through said bath at a predetermined rate, driven means for varying the length of wire immersed in said bath, a control apparatus for said driven means comprising a bridge circuit, a variable impedance element in said circuit, a galvanometer having a movable element, a pair of switches, a reciprocable means cooperating with the movable element to'actuate the switches according to the position of the movable element, and means for driving said driven means in one direction or the other depending upon which switch is actuated. I

16. In an apparatus for treating wire, a treating bath, means for advancing the Wire through said bath at a predetermined rate, means for varying the length of wire immersed in the bath, means responsive to the variation of the electrical characteristics of the wire comprising a galvanometer having a movable element, a pair of electrical contact members, a reciprocable member cooperating with said movable element to actuate the contact members, a rotatable shaft, and means for rotating said shaft in either direction in accordance with the contact member actuated, said shaft actuating the means for varying the length of wire immersed in the bath.

HENRY V. SCHLACKS. 

